Page 18 of Last Duke Standing

Our night in the playroom was fun and very pleasurable. We made a bet that whoever gave her the most orgasms got to spoon her for the night. Colt got a determined glint in his eyes the moment I suggested it and I knew he was going to do anything possible to win.

I’m pretty sure he didn’t play fair. We should have set out rules before we started, but it didn’t matter who won, not really. We’d all have our chance because Ella wouldn’t accept anything less.

One thing that night did is prevent Ella from suggesting anything else on the adult side of the resort except for hitting the store.

Tomorrow is our last full day here and, somehow, Ella was able to talk us into kayaking. We all grumbled since what we really wanted was to keep her in bed all day. Now that we’ve been gliding through the clear waters along the coast, I’m damn glad Ella suggested this.

The muscles in my arms are burning and the sun is beating down on us. It feels glorious. I know I’m going to go back to New York with a tan and more memories than can fit in a scrapbook.

Ella’s slightly ahead of me, trailing Barrett and Colt. When she looks back at me, her eyes sparkling and reflecting the clear blue of the water with a smile on her face, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more beautiful than she is right now. As much as I love my job and our lives in New York, there is part of me which doesn’t want to go back.

I don’t want the air to be clogged with smog when it could be filled with ocean breezes. I don’t want to go back to car horns punctuated by alarms instead of the quiet we’ve experienced here. I don’t want to face the responsibilities waiting for us when we’re blissfully in charge of our time right now.

I know we can’t stay. I just wish the days hadn’t gone so fast here. When I look up, Ella’s eyebrows are furrowed together as she looks at me, concern clearly written across her face. She slows and waits for me to pull up next to her.

“Are you okay, Owen? You look about a million miles away,” Ella’s voice is soft and coaxing.

I look beyond her to see Colt and Barrett racing each other, laughing together with big smiles on their faces. I can’t help but grin when I see it. It was always so much easier for things to roll off my back. Even when things were in the shit while we were serving, I had the ability to smile and laugh things off. My brothers didn’t have that ability.

What we experienced over there took a toll on the guys, even when I tried to be the comic relief. The only good thing was we had each other’s backs. Always.

Being here it’s almost like I can pretend those scars don’t exist. I can almost forget how we’ve done things none of us are proud of which weigh heavy on our souls.

Being with Ella, enjoying her love, feels like redemption.

“I’m good, little lamb.” She arches an eyebrow, clearly not buying my words. I can’t help but grin; she is the perfect woman for us. I look out over the water as we float next to each other, the laughter of Colt and Barrett riding the tropical air to surround us. “I was just thinking about how perfect this is and that I don’t want to go back.”

Her smile is soft when I look back at her. “It has been perfect. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Barrett and Colt smile this much.”

“Because they haven’t, not the entire time I’ve known them,” I admit. When I look back at her, there’s a hint of sadness in her eyes and I could kick my own ass. “They’ve been happier with you in our lives than they ever were before, Ella, don’t doubt that.”

She barks out a laugh before telling me cheekily, “Oh, I know.”

In the distance Barrett raises his arms triumphantly and lets out a whoop of celebration. I guess we know who won the race. When I look at Ella, she has a smile on her face which rivals the sun shining down on us. I hope she really does know how important she is to us and how much we love her.

“You know,” she looks back at me when I start talking, her smile still firmly on her face, “we would have never come here if you weren’t in our lives. Taking a vacation wasn’t something that would have ever crossed our minds.”

She blows me a kiss. “Thank you for thinking of it and making it happen.”

I’m taken aback for a moment since we didn’t explicitly tell her I was the one who pushed the guys to do this. For her. Everything we do is for her. I shake my head about to deny her words, but she rolls her eyes and gives me a pointed look.

Colt turns and sees how much distance there is between us, and a look of panic crosses, but then his eyes land on me and he relaxes slightly. The trust he puts in me is humbling. There was a time in my life that everyone thought I’d just be a fuck-up. Not these guys, my brothers, and not Landon.

He’ll come around.

Well, he’s going to have to because we sure as hell aren’t letting Ella go. Not now, not ever.

“Come on, little lamb,” I wink at her, “race you.”

The thing that doesn’t need to be said is that I’ll let her win. I always will.

CHAPTER 5

BARRETT

Tonight we’re making the most of the resort and going all out for our little lamb. Not like this trip has been short on the extravagance, but tonight is special. We still have one more night on our trip, but our flight is early the next morning so tomorrow night we’ll need to turn in early.

Which is why we chose to dress up and go to Lust, the fine dining restaurant the resort offers. Ella looks spectacular, the dress she’s wearing flowing around her and making her look like an island goddess. She always looks too damn good for our own good, but tonight there’s something different about her.